“Philo’s Attractive Ethics on the ‘Religious Market’ of Ancient Alexandria,” in: Peter Wick / Volker Rabens (eds.), Religions and Trade: Religious Formation, Transformation and Cross-Cultural Exchange between East and West (DHR 5; Leiden: Brill, 2014), 333–355 (original) (raw)
Related papers
Philo of Alexandria was a Jewish statesman, philosopher, and religious thinker. A significant amount of his literary corpus was preserved by Christian hands and thereby came to resource numerous theologians in the Christian tradition. After passing into obscurity in Jewish circles in antiquity, Philo was rediscovered in the Italian Renaissance and came to feature in Jewish tradition once again. Philo's works straddle an interest in exegesis and philosophy, and the multi-faceted contents of his thought ensured a long history of reception among readers with their own agendas. This authoritative and systematic collection of essays by an international team of experts surveys Philo's reception from the time of his immediate contemporaries to the present day. The book unfolds over six sections: the first centuries, late antiquity, the middle ages, the renaissance and early modern period, from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries, and contemporary perspectives.
Philo of Alexandria, the first century Jewish exegete, is one of the most important non-Christians in the history of Christianity. It is common to find brief reference to his works in theological manuals or introductory books on the New Testament. However, it is very common to find reductionist commentaries on the man and his works. In order to appreciate the real importance of Philo’s treatises (and his relevance for our third world postcolonial context) it is necessary to realize the complexity of his cultural context and of his agenda. This is the main aim of this article.
The Cambridge Companion to Philo Cambridge University Press
The works of Philo of Alexandria, a slightly older contemporary of Jesus and Paul, constitute an essential source for the study of Judaism at the turn of the eras and of the rise of Christianity. They are also of extreme importance for understanding the Greek philosophy of the time, and they help to explain the onset of new forms of spirituality that would dominate the following centuries. This handbook presents, in an unassuming format, an account of Philo's achievements. It contains a profi le of his life and times, a systematic overview of his many writings, and survey chapters of the key features of his thought, as seen from the perspectives of Judaism and Greek philosophy. The volume concludes with chapters devoted to Philo's infl uence and signifi cance. Composed by an international team of experts, The Cambridge Companion to Philo gives readers a sense of the current state of scholarship and provides depth of vision in key areas of Philonic studies.
'Finding Philo' Exploring the influence of Philo of Alexandria in the works of St Gregory of Nyssa
When looking into the development of Christian Philosophy, especially that of the mystical Tradition, in the Imperial world it is vitally important to understand the context of the writing and cultural impact of the Hellenic thinkers who lived and taught before the advent of Christianity. A key aspect is looking at how the thought of the Pagan Philosophers of the Greek world such as Plato and the Stoics entered into the Christian understanding of and patristic exegetical thought on Scripture. Things brings forward the intellectual contribution made by the Jewish Philosopher; Philo of Alexandria.
Philo of Alexandria: A model for early Christian ‘spiritual readings’ of the Scriptures
HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies
Philo of Alexandria represents a Hellenistic tradition of reading the Scriptures in which reading is seen as a spiritual exercise together with other spiritual exercises, like attention, thorough investigation of the issues, self-mastery, detachment, etcetera (see Her. 253; Leg. 3:18), which has as aim the transformation and growth of the person towards the good and happy life. Interaction with the spiritual wealth of the Greek philosophical traditions was seen as a fruitful asset and challenge. This article highlights some of the key themes of Philo’s philosophical or spiritual reading of the Scriptures: the priority of God and of the health of the soul, the importance of human progress, the recognition of one’s nothingness in order to know God, the necessity to choose, human effort and divine achievement, as well as harmony with God, nature and the self as the aims of the good life. Christian spiritual writers, like Origen, found in Philo’s approach to the Scriptures and in his re...
The concept of eusebeia (piety) well known in the Greek world serves as the foundational virtue in Philo’s ethical system. He appropriates the Greek understanding of eusebeia and applies it to his ethical teaching about how one is to live virtuously. However, instead of viewing eusebeia as a subordinate virtue, like in the Stoic and Platonic traditions, Philo gives the virtue eusebeia a primary place and names it “the highest and greatest of virtues” (Abr. 60) and “the origin of all the other virtues” (Decal. 52). What is significant about Philo’s ethical system is that he subsumes all the ethical commandments of the Decalogue under this greatest virtue, eusebeia, but without divorcing himself from his Greek philosophical tradition. This paper will show how this is so. Ancient sources evince that the early understanding of the Greek concept of eusebeia went through a development (ca. fifth century B.C.E.). This paper will show how this development of eusebeia in the Greek tradition is reflected in one aspect of Philo’s use of eusebeia: that is, eusebeia for the service of God and human beings. We will see that in Philo’s ethical discussion especially concerning the Decalogue, he views eusebeia in two ways: prior to its transition, when eusebeia was used indistinctly from dikaiosune; and after its transition, when eusebeia was sharply distinguished from dikaiosune. I will also offer a reason why both traditions are still present. This discussion will not only illumine some of the complexities of Philo’s understanding of the concept of eusebeia as the primary virtue in his ethical system, but will show the influence of the Greek philosophical tradition on his thought.
Journal for the Study of Judaism, 2023
The article studies and compares how Philo authorizes παρρησία in Quis rerum divinarum heres sit and Quod omnis probus liber sit. After critically evaluating the scholarly literature on παρρησία in Philo, I go beyond the limitations of this literature by situating Philo's views on παρρησία within the context of the ancient conventions of παρρησία, as well as in the changing socio-historical context of Philo's writings. I argue that Philo creatively adapts the conventions of παρρησία to authorize that the Jews can have παρρησία towards God, as well as towards human beings within the Roman Empire. Their παρρησία is not authorized by citizenship, nobility of birth, good family reputation, and wealth, but by their conscience of having said and done everything to the benefit of God and their virtuous behavior according to Mosaic law.